The University of Macau (UM) Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management (APAEM) today (15 April) launched the second edition of the Hospitality Leadership Programme: Leading in Challenging Times. The target audience of the programme are senior executives in the hospitality industry.
‘The opening of new integrated resorts in 2016 is expected to provide more job opportunities and increase the number of visitors and the demand for professionals in the gaming and hospitality industry. More local leaders are needed to accommodate and understand the changing tourism climate as well as to seize new opportunities in the market,’ says Jacky So, dean of UM’s Faculty of Business Administration and director of the APAEM. ‘The second stage of the programme provides a platform for senior executives and decision makers from the industry to exchange insightful views and experience, and this is the kind of coopetition that we need.’
‘Many participants in the first programme felt they had learned a lot and so they applied again this year,’ said Aurora Leong, the learning and development manager of MGM Macau and a participant in this year’s programme. ‘The programme taught me how to obtain the latest information in the hospitality industry, and I will share the knowledge with my colleagues.’ Marian Au, another participant in the programme and assistant director of learning and advancement of Wynn Macau, said that the course taught participants how to think outside the box. ‘The course discussed the future development of the market, which can help participants understand the changes in the industry.’
This year’s programme attracted 36 senior executives from the gaming and hospitality industry. The course continues to cover four main topics, namely changing customer preferences in the hospitality industry, the changing landscape of integrated resorts, strategies and innovation in hospitality, and adjusting to changes and economic reality. Each year, the APAEM organises a variety of executive development programmes and invites experts and scholars from the academia and the industry to give lectures on various topics, with the aim of nurturing more internationally competitive and socially responsible future leaders for Macao and the Asia-Pacific region.